1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a process for conditioning and cleaning hair which comprises contacting the hair with an effective conditioning amount of a series of novel salt complexes. These complexes provide outstanding conditioning effects to the hair and are very mild to the eye. The complexes are made by neutralizing a fatty ammonium compound that is cationic with an anionic compound, producing a salt complex. Optionally, the complex can be combined with dimethicone copolyol to produce extremely mild products suitable for use in baby shampoos. The compounds of the present invention are water soluble, non-irritating to the eye and skin and are well suited to personal care applications.
2. Arts and Practices
Fatty quaternary compounds commonly called quats, are tetrasubstituted ammonium compounds where each of the four groups on nitrogen are a group other than hydrogen. If any hydrogen groups are present, the compounds are not quaternary amines, but rather are primary or secondary amines.
The most commonly encountered substituents are alkyl and alkyl amido groups. There are several classes of quats. The most important are (a) alkyl tri methyl quats for example cetyltrimonium chloride, (b) alkylamidopropyl dimethyl quats like stearylamidalkonium chloride and (c) di alkyl, di methyl quats for example dicetyldimonium chloride and (d) alkyl, benzyl, Di methyl quats like stearalkonium chloride.
There are several undesirable attributes of fatty cationic products.
1. Fatty Quaternary compounds are incompatible with anionic surfactants since an insoluble complex frequently is formed when the two types of materials are combined.
2. Many fatty Quaternary Compounds are eye irritants. The material is minimally irritating to the eyes at concentrations of 2.5%, which limits the concentration which is useful if low irritation is a requirement.
3. Fatty quats are generally hydrophobic and when applied to substrate can cause a loss of absorbance of the substrate. It is not an uncommon situation for a traveler to a hotel to encounter a very soft towel that totally fails to absorb water. This is because the fatty quaternary gives softness but being hydrophobic also prevents re-wet. This situation also can be observed on hair, the conditioner becomes gunky on the hair and has a tendency to build up.
We have learned that many of these negative attributes can be unexpectantly mitigated by making fatty complexes with carboxy fatty alcohol alkoxylates. The preferred complex has to have a molecular weight of over 1000 molecular weight units to obtain the most effective irritation mitigation. The mitigation of irritation, the improved water solubility and the skin feel make the compounds of the present invention highly desirable in personal care applications, Thus the present invention relates to a process for conditioning and cleaning hair which comprises contacting the hair with an effective conditioning amount of said series of novel salt complexes. Optionally, the complex can be combined with dimethicone copolyol to produce extremely mild products suitable for use in baby shampoos. The effective conditioning concentration for the process of the present invention runs between 0.01 and 10.0% by weight of the shampoo. The preferred is 0.2 to 2.0% by weight.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a process for conditioning hair which comprises contacting the hair with an effective conditioning amount of a series of novel complexes that are made by neutralizng a fatty ammonium compound which is cationic with an anionic compound, producing a salt complex.
In a broad sense, the present invention discloses a process for conditioning hair which comprises contacting the hair with an effective conditioning amount of a series of novel complexes that are made by neutralizing a fatty ammonium compound which is cationic with an anionic compound, producing a salt complex. The effective conditioning concentration for the process of the present invention runs between 0.01 and 10.0% by weight of the shampoo. The preferred is 0.2 to 2.0% by weight.
The process of the present invention is performed using the compounds conforming to the following structure:
xe2x80x83R1xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94C(O)R2C(O)Oxe2x88x92
wherein;
R1 is CH3xe2x80x94(CH2)nxe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)axe2x80x94(CH2CH(CH3)O)bxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)cxe2x80x94;
n is an integers ranging from 7 to 21;
a and c are integers independently ranging from 0 to 20, with the proviso that a+b be greater than 5;
b is an integer ranging from 0 to 20;
R2 is selected from the group consisting of
xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94, and

R3 is selected from the group consisting of
CH3(CH2)exe2x80x94
and
R5xe2x80x94C(O)N(H)xe2x80x94(CH2)3xe2x80x94
R5 is CH3(CH2)fxe2x80x94
e is an integer from 5 to 21;
f is an integer from 5 to 21;
R4 is selected from the group consisting of
CH3(CH2)g
g is an integer ranging from 0 to 21
and 
The effective conditioning concentration for the process of the present invention runs between 0.01 and 10.0% by weight of the shampoo. The preferred is 0.2 to 2.0% by weight.
In a preferred embodiment Ris;
CH3xe2x80x94(CH2)nxe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)axe2x80x94(CH2CH(CH3)O)bxe2x80x94(CH2CH2O)cxe2x80x94.
In a preferred embodiment R2 is xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94.
In a preferred embodiment R2 is xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94.
In a preferred embodiment R2 is 
In a preferred embodiment e is an integer ranging from 7 to 21.
In a preferred embodiment R3 is R5C(O)N(H)xe2x80x94(CH2)3xe2x80x94
f is an integer ranging from 5 to 21.
In a preferred embodiment R4 is methyl.
In a preferred embodiment R4 is 
In a preferred embodiment the molecular weight of the complex is greater than 1000.
In another preferred embodiment, the complex is blended with dimethicone copolyol to improve the conditioning effect and feel.